The inside scoop on research revealing gaps in farmworker respiratory health protection policies

Photo: Farmers boots by eclipse_images, Getty Images Signature

Farmworkers were among the most essential and at-risk workers during the 2020 respiratory global pandemic. RESPIRAR’s newly published research in PLOS One takes a close look at Oregon’s pandemic response, revealing how targeted farmworker protections compared to broader worker safety policies.

RESPIRAR’s research, recently published in PLOS One journal, examines Oregon’s pandemic response, revealing findings about the effectiveness of farmworker-specific policies compared to broader worker protections.

Led by Devon Payne-Sturges, professor of Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, and project biostatistician Raul Cruz-Cano of Indiana University, the study uncovered some unexpected findings.

Continue reading to hear Payne-Sturges discuss what the team discovered and what it could mean for protecting farmworkers’ health in the future in a Q&A with the University of Michigan School of Public Health.

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